Armed military men have invaded Daily Trust regional office in Maiduguri, Borno State and arrested the Regional Editor, Uthman Abubakar and a reporter Ibrahim Sawab. They also requested to see the Political Editor, Hamza Idris whose name has appeared in bylines of major exclusive and investigative reports.

Though
it is not clear why the military took the action, PRNigeria observed
that the Daily Trust on Sunday published a strong editorial and news
reports on security challenges in Northern Nigeria.

Some
of the lead stories include: “Military Prepares Massive Operation to
Retake Baga, Others,” “Zamfara Bandits May Have Link with Boko Haram,
-Defence Minister,” “Shettima Funds 20,000 Civilian JTF for six Years,”
and “Troops Repel Boko Haram Attack in Damasak… Kill Many in Yobe.”

The
Editorial titled “FG is Running Out of Excuses” highlights some of the
humanitarian challenges in the North-East and the efforts of the
military in tackling Boko Haram insurgency.

The
Editorial pointed out that the Borno community leaders at an emergency
meeting of security agencies summoned by Governor Kashim Shettima
expressed fears that insurgents could push on from Baga, overrun Monguno
and on to Maiduguri.

The
Editorial further acknowledged the successes of the military in
repelling three attacks on Monguno with Air Force raids that halted the
insurgents in their tracks and killed many terrorists. It also commended
the effort of the military in launching a major offensive to retake the
lost towns and bases.

The
Editorial nevertheless asked some hard questions and proffered
suggestions. It stated thus: “From all indications there is no
multinational force in the Lake Chad region, and we must ask why it is
that Chadians, Nigeriens and Cameroonians do not seem to be around
anymore.

“Despite
fortunes reportedly spent on armaments, it is clear also that our
military lacks enough force and firepower to eliminate Boko Haram once
and for all.

“This
is very unfortunate. The country is at war and has been so for nearly
10 years now. Even though many successes were recorded, we expect the
Federal Government to drop everything else and go for the best weapons,
equipment and munitions wherever it can find them.

“Armoured
helicopter gunships, mine-resistant APCs, drones, the latest machine
guns and abundant munitions are some of the weapons needed to finish
this war, and we believe that this country has the resources to acquire
them from any available sources provided government rearranges its
priorities.

“We
must also do whatever it takes to bring our neighbours back into the
war. Boko Haram is a threat to all of us but they need our material
support to be able to fully mobilise for this war. We should provide it.
Honestly, the Presidency is running out of excuses,” it concluded.

However,
the newspaper says the whereabouts of arrested staff remained unknown
after armed Nigerian security agents stormed the office and shut it down
on Sunday.

The
paper reported that: “Daily Trust’s regional editor, Uthman Abubakar
and a reporter, Ibrahim Sawab were whisked away by a combined team of
soldiers, DSS and Civil Defence officers, according to witnesses’
accounts.

“It
is not clear why they took the action but it may be connected with the
lead story of Daily Trust on Sunday on military operation in the North
East.

“Daily
Trust also learnt that the military shut the gate of the Maiduguri
regional office, after arresting the two editorial staff on sight at the
time of the raid.

“A witness also noted that the soldiers requested to see Daily Trust’s Political Editor, Hamza Idris, whose byline appeared on the story.

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